Content-Based Instruction

Series Editor’s Preface

The English Language Teacher Development (ELTD) Series consists of a set of short resource books for English language teachers that are written in a jargon-free and accessible manner for all types of teachers of English (native and nonnative speakers of English, experienced and novice teachers). The ELTD Series is designed to offer teachers a theory-to-practice approach to English language teaching, and each book offers a wide variety of practical teaching approaches and methods for the topic at hand. Each book also offers opportunities for teachers to interact with the materials presented. The books can be used in preservice settings or in-service courses and by individuals looking for ways to refresh their practice.

Margo DelliCarpini and Orlando Alonso’s book Content-Based Instruction explores different approaches to teaching content-based instruction (CBI) in the English language classroom. They provide a comprehensive overview of how to teach CBI in an easy-to-follow guide that language teachers will find very practical for their own contexts. Topics covered include academic language development challenges and approaches, interdisciplinary teacher collaboration, and a two-way approach to CBI where content teachers and English language teachers work together and collaboratively develop complementary content-driven and language-driven CBI objectives. Content Based Instruction is a valuable addition to the literature in our profession.

I am very grateful to the authors who contributed to the ELTD Series for sharing their knowledge and expertise with other TESOL professionals because they have done so willingly and without any compensation to make these short books affordable to language teachers throughout the world. It was truly an honor for me to work with each of these authors as they selflessly gave up their valuable time for the advancement of TESOL.

Thomas S. C. Farrell

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Introduction

Use of English as an academic lingua franca continues to expand to settings around the globe, and it has become a primary language of higher education in many locations (Mauranen, 2003). English-medium programs have expanded internationally, increasing the number of students studying within an English language framework (Coleman, 2006). Although the expectation for programs in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States is to provide instruction in English, increasing numbers of institutions located in countries where English is not the native language are offering courses and whole programs in English (Brandt, 2010). Graddol (2007, p. 74) discusses that with almost 66% of the top 100 universities worldwide in English-speaking countries, the result is increased pressure on institutions globally to provide English-medium programs.

Taking the United States and Canada, with their large English language learner (ELL) populations as examples, it is evident that academic success for secondary-level ELLs has been problematic. Recent research reveals that only 54% of secondary-level ELLs in Alberta, Canada, complete school, as opposed to 70% of native-English-speaking students (Derwing, DeCorby, Ichikawa, & Jamieson, 1999). In the United States, which has one of the largest global ELL populations, academic achievement for these students is no less challenging. According to Richard Fry (2007), of the Pew Hispanic Center, ELLs are much less likely than other students to score at or above proficient levels in both mathematics and reading/language arts (¶ 4). Although not all ELLs struggle with academic performance, national assessments reveal that, as a group, these students are not performing at the same level as their native-speaking counterparts.

These factors make the meaningful and successful integration of content and language critical for student success in a variety of secondary and higher educational settings. Content-based instruction